SC stays arrest of Abhishek Banerjee's aide Sumit Roy in Salboni land case
The Supreme Court on Thursday (August 6, 2026) stayed the arrest of Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, in connection with the Salboni land-grabbing case. The court, however, directed him to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation.
The interim protection comes after the Calcutta High Court rejected Mr. Roy's anticipatory bail plea on August 3. The case was registered by the Salboni Police under penal provisions relating to cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, use of forged documents and criminal conspiracy.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohna passed the order after hearing senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Mr. Roy. The Bench directed that Mr. Roy should not be accompanied by any advocate or any other person during the investigation. "He shall remain available for investigation from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm with the usual breaks. However, his arrest will remain stayed," the Bench ordered.
Mr. Sankaranarayanan argued that his client had already been granted anticipatory bail by the Calcutta High Court in another case relating to the alleged cash-for-jobs scam. He also submitted that the FIR in the present case was registered only after the new government assumed office.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the West Bengal government, opposed the plea, saying the alleged offence had been committed several years ago but no action had been taken by the previous government. He said custodial interrogation of Mr. Roy was necessary for the investigation. He also alleged that previous attempts by law enforcement agencies to arrest the accused had been obstructed by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee. He sought the court's permission to place the relevant material on affidavit.
The Supreme Court's order is an interim measure; it has not yet disposed of the anticipatory bail plea. The case is part of a broader investigation into the alleged fraudulent acquisition of government land in Salboni, a matter that has drawn political attention in West Bengal.
